Cameroon Fashion Industry On The Global Scene

Kibonen Nfi, founder of Kibonen NY

Cameroonian born designer Kibonen Nfi's label, Kibonen NY, spans across West Africa and North America. Over five years ago, then her label the was called KiRette Couture, she established her designer credentials by fusing the traditional hand woven Cameroonian toghu with her own contemporary patterns. In 2011 she relaunched her label as Kibonen NY to create clothing, accessories and footwear. She states Kibonen NY is for the classy trend setter with a strong sense of style, and a refined taste for contemporary and authentic Africana clothing. Kibonen NY does not only limit its designs to the toghu but also explores other traditional African fabrics such as wax prints, tie-dye, kanga and mud cloth. 

Kibonen NY is invited to showcase at Africa Fashion International's (AFI) at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Africa Melrose Arch, Gauteng, from 24 - 28 October. Even with the international recognition the label receives it's faced with major financial restrictions and is unable to confirm attendance to AFI. Rather than rest of her laurels, Kibonen conceptualized a fundraising campaign named Threads for a Cause. Funds raised from this initiative are pay for the Kibonen NY’s team trip to the South Africa and, depending on the  donation, supporters receive Kibonen NY designs from t-shirts, accessories right up to VIP access and naming of an Kibonen NY 2014 collection. This strategy, which keeps to the brand's values, is fundamental to the African philosophy: ‘I am because we are.’ and relies on the help of the global community to accomplish an objective.  

Kibonen is an exceptional designer and I’d relish seeing her on our shores later this month. My love affair with her label began in March this year when a friend from Cameroon showed me a few items from the Kibonen NY collection – I snapped up the below clutch bag (the one on the right) with no hesitation and went on to find out what I could about the designer. 

 

Besides designing, Kibonen, with other collaborators, helped create employment in her home country and formed the Cameroon Fashion Common Initiative Group. They founded the Made in Camer program which is an independent, charity based, eco friendly and ethical clothing production factory that supports local talent and provides employment to Cameroonians in one of the poorest communities. Having a fair trade production unit in Cameroon western grass fields in Bamenda not only helps develop the area but also helps increase trades between Cameroon and the US. My question is: Are there enough of us to ensure ‘Threads for a Cause’ is a success for this daughter of Africa? 

image source: kibonen ny